Severed Reality
by Remember Ember
Summary: Mark is a strange man with an even stranger past. Mysterious even to himself. He was living as a man in a world of nightmares. Mark is also a happy man living with his boyfriend Jack. One might say, he's living in a dream. But that's just it. Mark is living two lives, a nightmare, and a fantasy. The question is, which is the real world, and which is the dream?
1. Alone and Afraid

Mark heaved as he leaned forwards on his hands and knees. Bile rose in his throat and he choked on it. It burned as it came up and down, as if still deciding if it wanted to surface or not. Mark whimpered in pain, and he hit the ground with his fist as he convulsed, bile having made its decision. He groaned as he fell to the hard concrete next to his stomach acid, shivering a little as a cold wind crawled up his back. He turned his face away from the foul-smelling ooze and shakily pulled himself to his knees.

"Where am I..?" He asked himself, as he looked around the seemingly abandoned alley. He spat out some more bile, and stood up. He caught himself on the wall with one hand as the other gripped at his head. A wave of dizziness washed over him. A groan fell from his lips as he stumbled to the one end of the alley. _What happened?_ He thought to himself.

As he walked, Mark could feel finger-like tendrils of... something, crawl up his back and around his shoulders. It seemed to weigh him down, a heavy weight sitting there and waited for its chance to smother him. He fell forwards, tripping over nothing. He whimpered quietly when pain shot up his arms. He quickly closed his mouth and listened carefully though. A scraping sound was coming from the end of the alley, like... _chains_? Mark was frozen in fear as he listened to the scrapes getting ever so slowly closer.

He gasped when he finally saw the figure shuffle it's way out of the shadows. They were short, his height and build. There was a tuft of dark hair sticking out from the wrappings around their head. Dark eyes watched him carefully. And chains hung from almost every part of their body, wrapping them in a blanket of clinking metal. The chains were trailing behind the figure, where they touched the ground, and made awful scratching sounds. Once the person, the man, was a few feet from him, Mark gasped and stumbled backwards.

He knew that face. He had seen it every day his entire life, staring at him from the other side of the mirror.

"Look at what you've done," a rasping voice whispered, the air seemingly going instantly still as if holding its breath, "Look at what you've turned us into," The voice said again, as the figure, the other Mark, lifted its arms. Mark watched in a sick fascination as the chains seemed to bear down on the skin and rip it, as the cloth bindings around their head fell to the ground to reveal hideous markings and scars.

"Look at what you've made us do!" The voice said again, the figure stepping forwards and dragging its chains by its tearing skin. Mark whimpered in fear and tried to move back, but he was frozen in place.

"Look at what you've turned into!"

The voice of his reflection raised to a pained scream and all of a sudden Mark was being pulled down. The wind picked up and wailed in his ears along with the voice, and whipped around his face. The ground gave way beneath him and he was falling. As he fell, the chains and bindings from the other him began to come towards him, wrapping around him and pulling him down faster into the never ending abyss. He was soon covered, so completely that he couldn't even scream as he fell.

...

He just kept falling.

Falling, falling, falling. Tears welled in his eyes from both fear and the air screaming past him. Laughter began to fill the air around him.

"You're mine now Marki..." He heard a voice say, and it echoed around him, coming from everywhere at once. The laughter started up again, echoing around him as if millions of people were laughing at once and Mark screamed. It seemed like forever had passed before he hit ground. He grunted as tears thundered freely from his eyes. His knees stung from the impact, he probably scraped them. The laughter had stopped as soon as he had hit the ground, which Mark found both relieving and terrifying.

What was most surprising to Mark though, was that it felt more like he had just fallen to his knees, rather than through the endless abyss of darkness. After catching his breath, his tears also having stopped and dried, Mark slowly lifted his head from his knees. What he saw confused him. A pair of familiar sneakers appeared before his eyes. They were followed by jeans and a black sweater. When his eyes finally landed on the face of the person before him, Marks eyes traced over the familiar green hair and blue eyes in awe. And a little bit if fear as the darkness from before gripped at his heart.

"Jack?"


	2. Safe and Home

"Jack?" Marks eyes were wide as he looked up at the blue-eyed man. _What is he doing here? Where did he come from? When did he get here?_ Mark blinked a few times as his vision blurred. He swayed on his knees a bit before falling backwards. He watched as Jacks face went from unreadable to concerned before everything became a blur of color.

"Maerk?" He heard a soft, slightly accented, voice say.

"Mark ya gotta... -et up..." the voice faded in an out a few times.

"Maerk?" The voice was clearer, definitely male and... Irish maybe? Yeah. That sounded right. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and a light shake went through his body.

Mark blinked up at the man holding him, "Ja-ack?" He mumbled; his tongue felt heavy in his mouth.

"Maerk!" The Irishman said excitedly, "Are ya feelin' okay? You were napping on my shoulder when ya... ya just toppled ov'r. I barely caught ya 'fore ya hit the ground Markimoo. You were groaning somethin' fierce too." He said. Mark could hear the worried tone. He blinked a few more times and something was placed over his eyes.

He figured it must have been his glasses because everything behind Jack came into focus. The first thing he noticed, besides Jack, was that it was bright. Very bright. And there were trees and... they were on a bench? Mark sat up from Jacks hold and looked around. They were in a park, in the middle of the day.

"Where's the alley?" He asked, looking around, "How'd we get here?" He turned back to Jack to see a confused look on his face.

"Alley? Maerk, we aren't in an alley, haven't been all day... what are ya talkin' about?" Mark blinked. He could have sworn they were just in a cold dark alley. With darkness and fear and that scraping noise... he felt a hand on his shoulder again, and looked up to find worried eyes.

"Are ya feelin' alright sweetheart?" Jack asked with a small frown. Mark was confused at the nickname, sweetheart, but he didn't think too hard about it for now. Mark just shook his head slightly.

"'M tired... wanna go home..." he mumbled. Jack just nodded his head and stood up with a small smile.

"Alright, then Markimoo; let's get you back home."

...

By the time they arrived 'home' Mark was nodding off again. He felt another light shake and a soft whisper of ' _We're here_ ' from Jack. He nodded his head and slowly pulled himself from the car. He almost fell, he would have if Jack hadn't been there. Jacks arms supported him all the way into the house.

Next thing he knew Mark was being tucked under some blankets and lips were pressing against his forehead.

"Goodnight love," he heard Jack whisper before he heard the door close. He smiled to himself and was soon enveloped in a safe and comforting darkness.

...

 **I don't usually put these at the end, but I wanted to apologize for the short chapter, I promise, they do get longer!**


	3. What's Going On?

The safe feeling surrounding Mark quickly turned sour. His throat closed and he gasped for breath. His knees began to hurt as the darkness lifted ever so slightly. He felt a trickle of what he could only describe as evil seep through his soul, and his breathing began to pick up.

 _I can hear you..._

A deep voice sang in the darkest parts of his mind. Mark grabbed at his head. There was pain. So much pain... His knees had a dull throb in them, his arms ached slightly. Then, as he felt panic rise in his throat and tears well in his eyes, he, again, felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey man, you alright?" Mark looked up and gasped slightly, his breath being stolen for a brief moment before returning.

"Jack?" He asked again, a little confused. _Weren't we just at home? In bed? Jack had been there too... how did I... how did we get here?_ Mark wondered.

"... do I know you?" The green haired man asked him, he seemed to flinch back at the name. His blue eyes both calculating and pained. He watched Mark as if he didn't trust him, which confused Mark even more.

"Jack what are you talking about?" Mark asked, "This isn't the time for fooling around. What's going on? What happened while I was sleeping? Why are we here?" He had so many questions, yet seemingly no answers. Though he could remember being here before... Before the happy times. Before Jack. He had been running from something... running away maybe? He wasn't one hundred percent sure. But Mark was pulled from his thoughts when the other began to speak.

"Hey, look, I don't know what your on, or how you know my 'old' name, but I have never seen you before in my life." Mark felt a dull ache in his chest at those words. Like something covered had just shattered inside it's protective casing. A protective casing that was still up.

"I... uh... sorry..." Mark mumbled, "I think I'm mistaking you for... someone else," he said sadly. He looked down at the ground and sat on his heels. His throat began to hurt as he held back tears and his eyes seemed to try even harder to shed just one tear.

"Hey... I'm sorry... it's... okay... uh..." the blue-eyed man seemed awkward and stuttered, "Do you, uhm, have anywhere to stay the night?" Mark looked up, kind of surprised he would ask. He couldn't remember anything that had happened before he started running... he didn't know if he had a home, and if he did he had no idea where it was. Mark just slowly shook his head, lowering his eyes back down from Jacks face to the ground.

"Alright. Come on," the other man smiled and helped Mark to his feet, "We're goin' to my place. And call me Sean, alright? No more with t'hat 'Jack' shite." Mark just slowly nodded his head, feeling a little detached as he followed the apparent stranger, 'Sean', home.

...

They arrived in a shabby, one-story apartment complex. The way there had been uneventful, the streets practically empty, but the few stragglers that stayed in this godforsaken place. Mark had stayed silent though, mindlessly following the green haired man.

"Where is everyone?" Mark finally asked as Sean opened the door. The slightly shorter man froze and slowly turned around to face Mark.

"Are ya serious?" Sean asked him, an incredulous look upon his face.

"Uh... yeah? I don't exactly remember any of the past... the past uh..." he paused, how much did he forget?

"The last thing I remember..." he mumbled to himself. He tried to think, but his head started to hurt. Mark groaned as he fell to the ground, again, his hands again at his temples.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey man, calm down... you need ta calm down," Mark took a deep breath and nodded his head.

"Yeah... calm... I can do calm..." he mumbled as he took deep breaths. When Mark finished calming himself, he looked up to see Sean sitting cross-legged in front of him.

"You really ain't lyin'..." the other mumbled, "You have no idea? Nothin'? What's the last you remember?" Mark just stared at him and nodded his head a bit.

"I, uh... I was running." he said after a few beats of silence, "I don't know why but I was running and... I found that alleyway. And-and I fell through something and then you were right there..." he finished in a rush. Sean's head just moved up and down slightly as his eyes scanned him curiously.

"Good ta know." Sean stood up and held out his hand to help Mark, "Now c'mon. You need sleep. I've got a spare room you can use."

Mark took the offered hand, but frowned, "But what about-"

"I'll explain what's happened tomorrow. Right now, we both need sleep, uh... I don't think I caught your name..?" the blue-eyed man trailed off. Mark smiled a little as Sean showed him through the small apartment.

"I'm Mark, and your Sean, which I know from our... 'introduction' earlier," Mark chuckled a bit. Sean laughed quietly next to him, his eyes seemed to light up the smallest bit before falling emotionless again.

"Yeah, I'm Sean," the other said dully, "And this will be where you can sleep fer now," he said, opening the door and stepping out of the way so Mark could enter. Mark smiled at Sean and nodded his head in thanks. Sean turned away and waved behind him dismissively.

"See ya in the mornin', Mark..." Mark replied likewise and headed over to the bed. He had no nightclothes and didn't want to bother Sean, felt the guy might get a tad too irritated, so he just collapsed on the bed in his clothes. As sleep began to drag him down into it's waiting arms, Mark heard a soft humming from another room in the apartment...


	4. Love Me Now

Mark sighed as he opened his eyes.

 _Where am I..?_

The last thing he remembered was... was... Sean? A shabby apartment in the middle of a desolate town? A sweet accented voice singing in the other room?

No... but that couldn't be right. This ceiling wasn't shabby nor was it falling apart. There were no strange stains on it. And the bed wasn't hard as a rock, but soft and squishy.

"Man, that was one heck of a dream..." he mumbled to himself.

 _Now... what really happened before I slept?_

Mark smiled as he remembered Jack leaning over him and helping him to bed. He looked over to the dresser to see a picture of him and Jack. His smile grew as he reached over to trace Jacks face on the picture.

"You know I think I'm starting to get jealous of my own picture," he heard a voice say from the doorway. Marks head whipped over to the side before he relaxed, realizing it was only Jack.

"Aw, you want your Markimoo to pet your face Jacky?" Mark said in a teasing voice.

Jack just rolled his eyes from the door way and sauntered into the room. "Maybe," he whispered, stealing a kiss when he sat next to Mark.

It was just a small, quick brush of the lips. But it still sent sparks through Marks body. He lifted his hand to cup Jacks face, and the blue eyes man parted from him to lean into his hand.

"I lo-" a beep could be heard from the kitchen and Jack blushed.

"Breakfast!" He cried before kissing Mark quickly and rushing from the room. "Hurry down!" Could be heard from the hallway as Jack rushed away.

...

Mark managed to pull himself out of the warn embrace of the covers, but he couldn't get that... other Jack out of his mind. The one with the old apartment. The stranger.

It was so strange. He wondered what on earth had possessed his dreams to make that happen. But strangely, the rest of the dream was fading fast. So fast that by the time he made it downstairs, all Mark could remember from his dream was that Jack was in it. And that he was a little different than his own Jack.

He found _his_ Jack in the kitchen, leaning over the stove. Though because of his position Mark couldn't tell what he was leaning over.

Mark quietly sneaked forwards though, and snaked his arms gently around Jacks waist. "Morning..." he mumbled into Jacks shoulder.

"Good mornin' love," Jack mumbled.

"What'chya making Jackaboy?" Mark asked, placing a few little kisses over Jacks neck.

"Pancakes" was the quick answer he got as Jack continued to cook. Mark chuckled a little and placed his chin in the crook of Jacks neck.

"What are we gonna do today?" Mark asked.

"How about we head over to the park for a bit? Then we could maybe go out for lunch, yeah?" Jack asked, flipping a pancake that was slightly charred on one side. Mark nodded his head, hiding a chuckle in Jack's neck.

"Sounds like a plan," he smiled and pecked Jacks cheek with his lips. Jack giggled cutely and Mark smiled, _what did I do to get this wonderful man as my own?_ He thought to himself, smiling.

"First, though, you're eating me pancakes."

...

Mark held Jacks hand in his own as they walked through the park. He smiled happily and looked over to the Irishman. Jack was practically glowing, smiling and waving at everyone. His eyes were alight with mirth and love and kindness. It was a beautiful sight.

But he also caught a glimpse of worry in his crystal blue eyes. He saw it every time Jack's eyes slid over to his direction, every time Mark stumbled a bit or rubbed his forehead.

"Jack? What's wrong?" he asked cautiously, pausing to look at Jack. He wanted to know why Jack was looking at him like that.

"What? Nothing's wrong! Everything's fine!" Mark gave Jack a flat look and Jack's shoulders sagged. He walked forwards to place his head on Marks shoulder and sighed.

"Yesterday you... you passed out Mark, and it wasn't like a 'oh I'm tired and decided to take a nap' kind of pass out... I'm just worried something could be wrong. What if..? What if this puts you back in the hospital? What if... what if..?" Jack's voice faltered and Mark felt a wet spot on his shoulder.

Mark wrapped his arms around Jack and held him close, rubbing the younger's back gently.

"It's okay Jack... I was just tired yesterday. It's nothing to worry about, I promise." Mark said, though he wasn't sure how true that statement was, he didn't want to worry Jack. Everything was all weird, with dreams and Jack and he wasn't sure what was happening any more.

He didn't even really remember why he'd been so confused that morning, but he had the lingering feeling that something was... wrong. He continued to rub Jack's back as he felt the other man's shaking come to a stop. He felt Jack shift so he was cradled in Mark's arms and Mark smiled.

"It's getting late, wanna go to dinner?" Mark blinked and looked up to the darkening sky.

"I didn't realize how late it was, sorry... did we miss lunch or something?" Jack chuckled at him and Mark looked down to see Jack's ocean blue eyes staring up at him. His eyes were glowing again, practically overflowing with love and joy.

"No, ya doof. We had a very late breakfast."

"Oh," Mark felt heat rising into his cheeks, and a smile playing across his lips, "I knew that." He heard Jack belt out a hearty laugh before lips were being pressed against his own. He smiled into the kiss and pressed back gently against Jack's mouth.

"Dinner?"

"Dinner."

...

Mark and Jack had talked and decided to just call a pizza place for dinner. Jack was still a little frazzled about the day before, though he tried to hide it. Mark could still see how worried he was, though he wasn't sure why. What had been so bad that happened? _Is Jack not telling me something?_

Mark was worried now himself, over what happened the day before and why Jack was in such 'secretive' turmoil over it. He and Jack were almost home now, having rushed after making the mistake of calling the pizza place _before_ they got home.

Mark smiled as reassuringly as he could to Jack, delighted as he watched his boyfriend smile and blush. _Mission make Jack smile accomplished_. Mark grabbed Jacks hand and held it tightly, "I told you it's going to be okay Jackaroony. I'm fine, remember that."

"... I really shouldn't be fokin' surprised at this, should I?" Jack asked, his eyes having gone from wide and surprised to flat and very not surprised in a matter of seconds. Mark laughed and shook his head.

"Nope."

Jack chuckled and lifted his hand to Mark's face, seriousness flooding his eyes. "I know you've told me you're okay Mark... it's just... I can't... I don't want to lose you... I've come so close to losing you so many times already!" Mark's smile softened, and he leaned down to kiss Jack's cheek.

"You won't lose me Jack. I'm not leaving, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon." Mark smiled and pulled Jack into a hug, before releasing him and continuing their venture home. They arrived to their place right as the pizza delivery guy showed up.

"Oh, hey dude! Just give us a second to get stuff, um, Jack, can you grab the pizza?" Mark said, an embarrassed smile on his face as he fished around in his pocket for his wallet. He quickly paid the guy for the pizza, giving him a bigger tip than he normally would out of his embarrassment.

When the couple finally made it back inside their home, they laughed and smiled at each other, seamlessly working together to grab plates and serve dinner for two. Eventually they made their way, food and drink in hand, to the couch where they set up 'Iron Man 3' on Netflix and settled in for a comfortable movie dinner.

About halfway through the movie Mark felt something land on his shoulder gently, and smiled as he looked down. Unsurprisingly he found Jack, asleep on his shoulder. He knew Jack had probably not gotten any sleep the night before, worrying about him.

He got up as softly as he could, lifting Jack into his arms and carrying him to their bedroom. Mark changed Jack into more comfortable sleeping clothes before tucking him in gently and placing a kiss on his forehead. He quickly changed himself and climbed into the bed with Jack, wrapping himself around his lover and whispering a soft goodnight before falling into the embrace of sleep.


End file.
